Special
Mihail Chemiakin – French Meat Market Figure, Original Charcoal Drawing, Paris 1972
Mihail Chemiakin – French Meat Market Figure, Original Charcoal Drawing, Paris 1972
This expressive charcoal drawing by Mihail Chemiakin (b. 1943) is a rare and evocative work from his French Meat Market series—an important body of early Paris-period compositions that explores the absurdities of ritual, consumption, and identity through masked and theatrical figures.
Dated 1972 and signed “Paris,” the drawing captures two dynamic, shrouded figures caught in mid-movement. Rendered in sweeping, gestural lines, their exaggerated garments evoke both medieval costume and butcher’s smock, while their haunting, mask-like faces hint at the grotesque humor and psychological undertones that define Chemiakin’s work from this period. The scene is filled with tension and choreography, transforming the everyday into a metaphysical performance.
Executed in rich, confident charcoal strokes, the drawing reflects Chemiakin’s mastery of line and his theatrical vision—a hallmark of the French Meat Market series. This original work stands as an exceptional example of the artist’s early post-Soviet output and a key moment in the development of his distinctive visual language.
Medium: Charcoal on paper
Date: 1972
Signature: Signed and dated by the artist, lower left
Series: From the French Meat Market drawings
Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist in New York
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